No spilled milk, but Hood truck involved in mishap leaks fuel on I-93 causing back-up and delays

HOOKSETT, NH –  A weather-related three-vehicle accident on I-93 North between the 293 split and the Hooksett toll plaza Friday caused a traffic backup for miles.

Responders were advised of a tractor-trailer that jackknifed and left the right side of the roadway, careening down the embankment into the tree line.

State police arrived at about 11:15 a.m. and found the driver of the tractor-trailer was out of the vehicle and uninjured. A second open-top dump-truck tractor-trailer and a passenger car were pulled over just north of the initial scene in the breakdown lane.

Initial investigation determined the Hood truck was traveling north and hydroplaned, and as other vehicles tried to avoid the accident there were collisions that caused minor damages to the front of the dump-truck and heavy damage to a passenger car with Quebec plates.

Hooksett Fire arrived at the scene and evaluated the medical condition of all drivers and occupants of the vehicles. No one required transport to the hospital.

New England Truck Center (NETC), which was in the immediate area at the time of the accident, assisted in determining the diesel saddle tanks on the truck down the embankment had been compromised and were leaking fuel.

Hooksett Fire notified the New Hampshire Department of Environmental Services (NHDES) which indicated they were responding to the scene according to Hooksett Fire.

NETC used transfer pumps to quickly empty the remaining diesel from the tanks and transfer it into drums. It is estimated approximately 30 gallons of diesel may have leaked onto the ground and will be evaluated by NHDES.

Duval’s Towing and Recovery utilized heavy towing equipment to pull the empty tractor-trailer onto the roadway so the vehicle could be towed from the scene. The scene was cleared about two hours from the time of the crash.

NH DOT set up arrow board trucks directing the heavy flow of traffic around the right travel lane which was closed. Due to the heavy Friday traffic with visitors traveling from out of state, the traffic was backed up for miles. Several vehicles tried to detour onto Route 3A which caused significant backup in that area as well.

State Police handled more than a dozen accidents involving rollovers, tractor-trailers, and passenger vehicles in about a 5-hour period on I-93, 293, and the F.E. Everett Turnpike during heavy rain that blanketed the area.

State Police said most of the accidents today were caused by people driving at inappropriate speeds for the weather conditions. Drivers are reminded to slow down in heavy rain due to “ponding” on the roadway, and excessive speed can cause hydroplaning which leads to accidents.